The Hindu Business Line : Artificial reefs help bolster coastal ecosystem: Study

IN a move that is perceived as "going back to the future," 22 fishing villages in the State have erected artificial reefs along the coastline, revitalising their fishing grounds, replenishing local resources and providing a healing touch to the ecology of the troubled oceans.

"These artificial reefs lure the fish to the vicinity and soon become source of food as they are rapidly covered with bottom dwelling biomass. Eventually, they contribute to an increase in the overall biomass in the fish stock in the local ecosystem," an international research project conducted by the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), University of Massachusetts, US, and the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi, has revealed.

The project is set in the backdrop of 130-km stretch of Kerala's southern coastline, known for its highly productive waters. This coastline is one of the world's most important sources of marine prawns. The annual sustainable yield from 1 sq km of these coastal waters is estimated at 35 tonnes, three times the all-India average of 13 tonnes.

This resource plenitude has made this the coastal zone in India with the greatest concentration of fisherfolk, Dr John Kurian, a fisheries expert who conducted the study has said.

The zone is not only famous for its productivity and dense settlement but also for the immense diversity of fish in its coastal waters. The assortment of gear used by the fishermen to harvest these resources is remarkable: specialised small meshed gill nets, trammel nets, bottom-set nets, boat seines and a variety of hook and lines.

The fishermen are known for their skill and daring. The intricate knowledge of the sea and the structures of the sea bottom as well as their navigational acumen have enabled them to fish even at the margins of the continental shelf with relatively simple technology. Some of their prominent fishing spots have been large natural reefs that provide habitat for fish aggregation and breeding.

However, the introduction of modern fishing gear and sophisticated vessels damaged this fragile ecosystem. It was to heal this wounded ecosystem and replenish their depleting fish stocks that the local fisherfolk started erecting artificial reefs.

The artificial reefs took a variety of forms and shapes - granite rocks wrapped in coconut fonds, used truck and bus tyres draped in gunny bags and sacks, large shell like structures with intricate internal designs fabricated with steel reinforced concrete etc.

These artificial reefs double up as barriers to the operation of bottom trawl nets and thus act as a sea bottom fence against the incursion of the trawlers - the very device that wrought havoc to these rich coastal fishing grounds.

The artificial reefs were erected by the local community and the very same community enjoy the fishing access, organised under the sahodara samajam (brotherhood fraternity). The study noted that community fishing norms have evolved to restrict over-fishing and wasteful exploitation.

Only hook and lines fishery is permitted in these replenished fishing grounds. And, older fishermen and younger boys are given fishing priority.

"There is no claim that artificial reefs have fully healed the wounds inflicted on the local ecosystem. Nor can it be said that fishing communities depend on artificial reefs as a major source of livelihood. But they have served to challenge the tenet that only State or market solutions can allocate and protect common resources," the study pointed out.

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